Abstract

There is a scarcity of research on men's experience of bereavement (Reiniche, 2006), particularly qualitative research which focuses on the meaning of such an experience. This paper seeks to address this by presenting the findings from a phenomenological study of the lifeworld of a small number of bereaved men, and considers how the loss of a spouse affects men’s experience of meaning, grief and loss. Three men aged 32-54 who have all lost their partners to cancer between 3 and 7 years ago were interviewed. The hermeneutic phenomenological method of van Manen (1990) was employed revealing three key themes: grief and self-reflection; meaning of life and loss; re-figuring the lifeworld. These themes are discussed in the light of broader existential concerns and the extant literature.